Kari Lehtonen made 32 saves, and Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin each had a goal and an assist when the Dallas Stars defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 6-0 at American Airlines Center on Wednesday. Lehtonen's shutout was his third of the season and 30th of his career. Dallas (17-14-5) has won three in a row, seven of eight, and eight of 10. Forward Brett Ritchie made his NHL debut and his second-period goal was the game-winner. Colton Sceviour, Ales Hemsky and Ryan Garbutt also scored for the Stars. Alex Goligoski had two assists. Dallas scored twice in 1:03 in the second period and four times in the third. Dallas took the lead at 7:22 of the second when Travis Moen fed Ritchie from behind the Coyotes goal, passing as he was falling to the ice. He scored with a wrist shot from the slot that sailed over the right shoulder of goaltender Devan Dubnyk.
Ritchie, the 44th pick of the 2011 NHL Draft, was recalled from Texas of the American Hockey League on Wednesday afternoon. Ritchie had a chance at a second goal late in the second period but was denied on a breakaway by Dubnyk, who made a pad save with 5:09 remaining. The Stars got their second goal when Sceviour beat Dubnyk to his short side with a wrist shot from the right circle at 8:25. Benn started the rush by gaining possession in the left circle inside the Dallas zone. After a quick rush up the left side, Benn fed Sceviour from the left circle, and Sceviour quickly beat Dubnyk top shelf for his third goal of the season. Benn scored a power-play goal after a pass from near the red line deflected in off Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphy 1:19 into the third. Dallas was on the power play after Shane Doan was called for tripping Goligoski 28 seconds into the period.
Stars Quotes
Kari Lehtonen: "We are definitely playing better. I don't know where the moment was when we found our way of playing. It has been easier for me there, no crazy stuff happening. It also helps that I have been able to make timely saves. It was a nice effort tonight."
Lindy Ruff: "All around, probably it was our best game. Special teams were good. We defended the way we needed to defend, really moved the puck well and skated well. I thought [Ritchie] played real well. It's great to see him get on the board, get us that first one, his first one and the game-winning goal. He's a big body, he protected the puck well, and I liked how he played. For him to step in, make a difference and help us win the game, you couldn't write a better script for a first game. He did the right things and I'm happy for him. We executed the way we needed to execute. We didn't create those goals by cheating. We created them by playing really well and defending really well in our own end. We didn't give up odd-numbered rushes and didn't get players caught."
Brett Ritchie: "There's a lot of things going through my head right now. I'm sure my phone is blowing up. I wish my parents would have been here, but they are in Montreal with my brother (Nick Ritchie) in the World Junior tournament. It's an exciting time for me and the family for sure, and I'm just happy to be here."
Jamie Benn: "Garbage [his goal]. It's nice to get those bounces. We're just playing better hockey. We got contributions from every line out there. We're taking care of the puck better, our goalies are playing great right now, and we just want to keep rolling."
Joe Pavelski struck again just in time to give the San Jose Sharks the momentum swing they needed. Pavelski scored his second goal of the game with two seconds remaining on a two-man advantage in the third period in a 3-0 win against the Anaheim Sucks at Honda Center on Wednesday. Sharks goalie Antti Niemi made 28 saves for his 30th career shutout. Pavelski scored his 19th goal with a one-timer from the left circle at 1:59 of the third off a pass from Brent Burns. It came with Sucks captain Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler in the penalty box. Getzlaf was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the second period after he threw his stick at the Anaheim bench on his way to the dressing room. Kesler and Perry each was called for roughing San Jose forward Tommy Wingels at the end of the second. It was Pavelski's fifth goal against the Sucks this season; he has scored in all four games against Anaheim. San Jose center Joe Thornton left the game after he was hit by Anaheim defenseman Clayton Stoner in the first period. Sharks coach Todd McLellan said Thornton wasn't seriously injured. The Sharks (20-13-5) were coming off a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. The win ended a two-game skid; it was the first time San Jose had suffered consecutive regulation losses since Nov. 9-11. It was the third time this season San Jose ended a losing streak by defeating Anaheim. Perry returned to the Sucks lineup after missing 10 games because of a sprained knee, but it was a mostly frustrating night. Anaheim (24-9-6) hit two posts, and Patrick Maroon shot wide on an empty net in the first period. The Sucks gave the Sharks' fourth-ranked power play eight opportunities, including three in the first period. In addition to Getzlaf, defenseman Sami Vatanen was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for banging his stick in the third period. Pavelski gave San Jose a 1-0 lead 4:33 into the game when Marc-Edouard Vlasic's shot went in off his skate. Logan Couture scored into an empty net with 2:05 left in the game. It was his 14th goal. McLellan liked what he saw from his Sharks against their Pacific Division foe.
San Jose's power play put 10 shots on goal, but came up empty largely because of Andersen. In his 24th start in the past 25 games, Andersen made a right-to-left save on Patrick Marleau on the first penalty kill and consecutive saves on Tomas Hertl and James Sheppard on the second kill. Anaheim right wing Tim Jackman returned after he missed three games with an upper-body injury. It was the Sucks' first home loss since Nov.28 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sharks Quotes
Joe Pavelski: "We were just in the moment, and I didn't really realize we had two seconds left. It's nice to see it go in. We were pressing there. We wanted to score. We wanted to get that [2-0] lead. In a situation like that, you've got find a way to make the team pay. I don't know. [laughing when asked to explain his success against Anaheim]. I'm playing with some good players. A few power-play goals. A few tips. That one I finally got on [Sucks goalie Frederik] Andersen in the 5-on-3 was the first one I shot."
Todd McLellan: "[Thornton's] fine. He'll be OK. … We've got a couple of days before we play again. I know [Thornton] pretty well. He won't be out very long. Discipline, composure. I thought we had a dose of it when we needed it. They put us on the power play for almost 13 minutes, and that certainly worked to our advantage - not only scoring, but also took away from their ability to attack and wear them out a little bit that way."
Tommy Wingels: "I don't know what about this team or this series gets us up more than other series. It's kind of something we have to look at and find what gets us excited and motivated and bring that every night."
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost four consecutive games. Brandon Sutter made sure the slide did not reach five. Sutter's third-period goal lifted the Penguins to a 2-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday. Sutter placed a wrist shot past Carolina goalie Cam Ward's stick with 1:42 remaining. It was Sutter's second goal in his past 17 games and his first against his former team. Pittsburgh (23-9-5) won its first game since a 3-1 win against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 20. Carolina (10-23-4), which has lost three straight, was outshot 13-12 in the third, but seemed to have the better scoring opportunities through the first half of the period. Jay McClement had a chance to give Carolina a 2-1 lead after a turnover by Pittsburgh forward Beau Bennett at center ice. McClement took a pass from Chris Terry on a 2-on-1, but he could not get all of a wrist shot that Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was able to absorb in his chest after sliding to his left at 3:08. Fleury made a sprawling glove save on Elias Lindholm 3:45 later with the Hurricanes on a power play to keep the game tied 1-1. Fleury made 24 saves to earn his 20th win, tied for second in the NHL behind Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne's 24. Ward was equally impressive, making 37 saves on 39 shots. Carolina opened the scoring and seemed poised to take a one-goal lead into the first intermission, but Chris Kunitz scored a late goal to end the first period tied. Bennett dug the puck out of the corner and backhanded a pass to Kunitz at the edge of the right faceoff circle. Kunitz placed a wrist shot over Ward's glove and under the crossbar for his 14th goal, tying the game 1-1 with 21.9 seconds remaining. Bennett had two assists in his return to the Penguins lineup after missing 16 games because of a knee injury and the mumps. He has five points in eight games this season, 26 in 55 career NHL games. Eric Staal gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. Lindholm sent a pass to Staal, gliding to his right, as Fleury slid in the opposite direction in the crease. Staal put a wrist shot past Fleury's outstretched glove at 9:12. The Penguins dominated the second period, outshooting the Hurricanes 17-7, but Ward denied each of those 17 opportunities to preserve the 1-1 tie. Evgeni Malkin had three consecutive shots in a 33-second span, including a slap shot that hit Ward's stick handle, but could not score his second goal in 10 games. Pittsburgh's power play, which topped the NHL by converting more than 40 percent of its chances earlier this season, had two second-period opportunities, but its recent struggles continued. The Penguins have scored on three of their past 51 power plays after failing to score on three chances against the Hurricanes. Carolina managed few chances in the second, but could have taken the lead just before the end of the period when Jiri Tlusty had a clear shot on goal with Fleury scrambling in his crease, but the Pittsburgh goalie lunged to make a glove save with 12 seconds remaining. The Hurricanes' Jordan Staal did not play. Carolina coach Bill Peters said Staal was held out for precautionary reasons after he did not feel well following the morning skate. The former Pittsburgh center earned an assist on Carolina's lone goal Monday against the Montreal Canadiens, scored by brother Eric Staal, in his season debut. Peters said if the Hurricanes are to have any success, they must generate more scoring.
Pens Quotes
Brandon Sutter: "It's always fun playing against your old team. I have some pretty good friends over there, so it's always a fun competition, especially when you can beat them. So, fortunately it went that way tonight, and those ones always feel good."
Mike Johnston: "We had three [Carolina chances] that we felt we gave up when we didn't have to on turnovers. Those are the big-time saves that [Fleury] made. I thought both goaltenders were really good. There were some great saves at both ends of the ice."
Beau Bennett: "It was a good win for the team. We don't really go through too many slumps during the year. … I thought our line did well tonight and we created a lot. I thought we could've had a couple more."
NY Islanders @ Winnipeg 5-2 - The Islanders' recently assembled line of Anders Lee, Frans Nielsen and Ryan Strome tormented the Jets, combining for nine points. Strome had a goal and three assists; Nielsen scored two goals and had an assist; and Lee had a goal and an assist. After Strome's seventh goal gave New York a 1-0 lead 10:04 into the game, Nielsen's seventh goal made it 2-0 on the power play. Consecutive penalties to Winnipeg defensemen Jay Harrison and Dustin Byfuglien set up a 30-second 5-on-3 power play for New York late in the first period. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk's broken-stick right-point shot sent the puck trickling to Nielsen, who tapped it in before Pavelec could scramble into position at 18:16. The Jets cut the lead to 2-1 at 4:41 in the second period when Ladd finished a give-and-go play with Blake Wheeler for his 13th goal. Nielsen reclaimed the Islanders' two-goal lead when he finished a 2-on-1 rush for his eighth goal at 15:27. Ladd's second goal of the game 47 seconds into the third period on the power play made it 3-2. Lee's ninth goal with 11:35 left in the third gave the Islanders a 4-2 lead, their third two-goal lead of the game. The 24-year-old, a sixth-round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, has 19 goals in his first 55 games.
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo 5-1 - Palat gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal with 58 seconds remaining in the second period. With Sabres forward Nick Deslauriers in the penalty box, Palat took a pass from Tyler Johnson and put a snap shot over goalie Jhonas Enroth's right shoulder for his ninth goal.
Palat assisted on Matthew Carle's fourth goal with 7:27 left in the first period to open the scoring, and on wing Brett Connolly's seventh goal 5:20 into the third period that made it 3-1. Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov extended the lead with his 16th goal 8:40 into the third period. He put a rebound off of a shot by Johnson past Enroth to give the Lightning a 4-1 lead. Kucherov's second goal, and 17th of the season, made it 5-1. Lightning rookie goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 10 saves in his fourth start of the season; he allowed a power-play goal to Sabres forward Tyler Ennis with 7:27 left in the first period.
NY Rangers @ Florida 5-2 - Jimmy Hayes, facing his younger brother Kevin Hayes in a high-level league game for the first time, scored a power-play goal in the third period to bring the Panthers within 3-2. The Hayes brothers were teammates in high school and at Boston College. McDonagh's power-play goal made it 3-0 at 14:28 of the second period. He used his leg to stop a clearing attempt near the blue line then quickly lined up a slap shot from the middle of the ice that beat Montoya to the glove side. It was the fourth consecutive game and the sixth time in seven games the Rangers scored a power-play goal. Fleischmann cut the lead to 3-1 on a breakaway at 16:38 of the second after taking a perfect two-line pass from Jonathan Huberdeau. With Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein on his back, Fleischmann beat Lundqvist with a shot that squeezed between the goalie's body and his right arm. After Hayes cut the lead to 3-2 when he one-timed Aleksander Barkov's short pass across the crease, the Rangers took advantage of a lucky break to restore a two-goal lead.
Montoya made a great pad save on a Stepan one-timer from the right dot, but the rebound bounced off the skate of St. Louis and trickled between the goalie's legs after also hitting the skate of Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Moore made it 5-2 at 15:35 on a rebound after Montoya stopped St. Louis on a breakaway. Montoya made several outstanding saves in the first period, including a pad save on a rebound by J.T. Miller, before Kreider opened the scoring at 16:42. After Klein's slap shot from the point hit Stepan in the back, Kreider got the loose puck near the slot and beat Montoya with a quick wrist shot. Klein's assist was his 100th NHL point. McDonagh's rush down the wing led to the Rangers' second goal at 1:29 of the second period when Brassard put home a rebound into a wide-open net.
Toronto @ Boston 4-3 SO - In the shootout, Bernier stopped four of five attempts. Santorelli scored in the first round and Kadri scored in the fifth against Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask, who made 18 saves. Leo Komarov scored at 10:22 of the first period. The Maple Leafs thought they took a 2-0 lead at 16:19, but the on-ice officials and the situation room agreed that forward Daniel Winnik’s skate deflected the puck into the Boston net with a distinct kicking motion, and the goal did not count. Rask then stopped a Phil Kessel breakaway and poke-checked Kessel on an ensuing penalty shot. The Bruins were on a power play to start the second period, and with 17 seconds elapsed, they tied the score 1-1. Forward Reilly Smith took a slap shot that Carl Soderberg tipped through Bernier’s five-hole. Kessel then made a steal and went on a 2-on-1, setting up James van Riemsdyk for a tip-in 31 seconds later to put Toronto ahead 2-1. Kessel's first goal in seven games gave Toronto a 3-1 lead. During a power play, he beat Rask from the top of the left circle with a wrist shot inside the far post at 9:45. The Bruins tied the score before the second period ended. Forward David Krejci gained the Toronto zone and took a wrist shot toward the net that deflected off Bernier, Toronto defenseman Cody Franson and into the net at 15:28. At 17:31 Krug's wrist shot hit Komarov's left skate before getting past Bernier to tie the score 3-3.
Minnesota @ Columbus 1-3 - Kevin Connauton continued his offensive production by scoring the tying goal and assisting on the third-period winner by David Savard. The Wild held a 1-0 lead late in the second period and Minnesota goalie Darcy Kuemper had just made his 15th save on a shot from the slot by Matt Calvert when the Blue Jackets scored. Kuemper lost his stick and was trying to pick it up when the puck was cleared to the left corner. Connauton retrieved the puck and shot from near the left wall, and Kuemper was unable to block it with 46 seconds left. The Wild rued the missed opportunities against goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to increase their first-period lead after a Zach Parise power-play goal. Parise's goal with 4:02 remaining in the first ended the Blue Jackets' penalty-kill streak at 24, including one earlier in the period. With Columbus defenseman James Wisniewski off for holding, Minnesota executed a perfect passing play down low. Thomas Vanek was in the left circle when he whipped the puck to Mikko Koivu in the slot. Koivu quickly threaded a pass to the right side of the crease, where Parise put a one-timer inside the near post.
Connauton set up Savard's power-play goal for a 2-1 lead 5:57 into the third period. Brandon Dubinsky got the puck to Connauton at the right point. He skated to the center of the blue line then dished the puck to Savard for a slap shot from the left circle, his sixth goal of the season.
New Jersey @ Detroit 1-3 - Zetterberg broke a 1-1 tie with 5:01 left when he tipped Niklas Kronwall's point shot out of midair in the bottom area of the left circle. It was the Detroit captain's ninth goal; he leads the Red Wings with 33 points. Helm scored his second goal of the game, seventh of the season, 24 seconds later on a breakaway. He beat Schneider while fighting off the checking of Eric Gelinas. Whitney opened the scoring with his first NHL goal with 4:23 left in the second period. Playing in his third NHL game, second since being recalled from Albany of the American Hockey League on Monday, Whitney picked up a loose puck in the right faceoff circle after Tom Sestito forced a turnover and snapped a quick shot past Howard high on the glove side. Helm tied it 2:19 later with an outstanding individual effort. As he was falling to the ice on a wraparound attempt to Schneider's left, Helm put the puck in off the stick of Steve Bernier, Schneider's pad and the inside of the post. Marek Zidlicky hit the goal post during a power play 4:10 into the second period. Bernier was helped off the ice with 4:54 left in the third after going hard into the boards trying to make a hit. Lamoriello didn't say what Bernier injured, but he said he thought it was serious and that Bernier would be getting X-rays.
Philadelphia @ Colorado 3-4 OT - Ryan O'Reilly is hoping to be more productive in the new year after scoring with 19.9 seconds left in overtime to give the Avalanche a 4-3 win. O'Reilly was deep on the right side when he took a return pass from Tyson Barrie and beat goalie Steve Mason, who was screened by Alex Tanguay, to the short side for his seventh goal. Iginla was in the lower part of the left circle when he accepted a pass from Nick Holden and put a one-timer by Mason's glove. Claude Giroux's power-play goal at 10:00 of the third had given the Flyers a 3-2 lead. Mark Streit left the puck for Giroux, who used his speed to weave into the Avalanche end. Giroux skated between defensemen Jan Hejda and Erik Johnson before moving in alone on goalie Semyon Varlamov. The Flyers tied the game 2-2 at 2:52 of the third on a goal by Vincent Lecavalier. Coburn passed to Lecavalier at the right point for a one-timer that beat Varlamov, who was screened by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Lecavalier has scored four of his six goals this season in the past five games.
Defenseman Nate Guenin and rookie right wing Borna Rendulic each scored his first goal of the season 3:30 apart in the second period to give the Avalanche a 2-1 lead. Guenin tied the game 1-1 at 10:47 when he took a shot just inside the blue line near the left-wing boards that made its way through several bodies and past Mason. Rendulic's goal was his first in four NHL games. It came at 14:17 off a pass from Gabriel Landeskog. Rendulic was just above the right hash marks when he shot the puck by Mason's blocker. Rendulic was recalled Tuesday from the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League. He began the game on the fourth line, but was moved to a line with Landeskog and O'Reilly in the second period. Philadelphia defenseman Michael Del Zotto sustained a cut on his neck in a collision with Colorado's Daniel Briere on his first shift at 1:30 of the first period. Del Zotto was cut by Briere's skate and missed the rest of the period.
Edmonton @ Calgary 3-4 OT - Josh Jooris scored 1:08 into overtime to give the Flames a 4-3 victory. The Flames, who trailed 2-0 and 3-2, won it when Jiri Hudler hauled the puck over the blue line before spotting Jooris, who beat goaltender Ben Scrivens over the glove to give Calgary its fourth consecutive victory. Jooris had just stepped out of the box after serving coincidental minors with Oilers defenseman Jeff Petry. Colborne cut Edmonton's lead to 2-1 with 1:59 remaining in the second period. With Tyler Pitlick in the penalty box for elbowing, Curtis Glencross worked the puck to Sean Monahan, who spotted Colborne parked off the far post. Colborne corralled the pass and beat Scrivens for his second of the season. Johnny Gaudreau nearly tied the game eight seconds later, beating Scrivens but not the crossbar. Bouma did tie the game 4:28 into the third, swatting a backhander past Scrivens to make it 2-2.
Edmonton regained the lead at 9:29 when Ference scored, but Colborne tied it again with his second of the game at 11:55. Monahan's initial shot was blocked, but Colborne fished the puck out in the slot and slid a shot between Scrivens' pads to make it 3-3. Though the Oilers managed all of one shot through the opening 14 minutes of the game, they cashed in on their first power-play opportunity of the game to take the lead. Fraser scored his first as a member of the Oilers by banking a rebound from below the goal line off Hiller's back and into the net to put Edmonton up 1-0 at 16:06. The goal ended an 0-for-27 drought with the man advantage on the road for the Oilers. Keith Aulie was ejected for a hit to the head of Flames forward Matt Stajan at 19:05, but Scrivens denied a one-timer by Mark Giordano and Curtis Glencross' rebound attempt in the dying seconds of the period to preserve the 1-0 lead. With the long power play carrying over into the second period, Scrivens replicated his pair of saves, stopping another Giordano one-timer and denying Glencross again on the doorstep with the rebound at 1:25. A minute later, Dennis Wideman sent a shot that snuck through the Oilers goaltender, but Scrivens got enough of the puck for it to die in the crease and enabling him to freeze it. Shortly after the successful kill, Edmonton struck again. Leon Draisaitl spotted Eberle alone in the slot, and he beat Hiller over the shoulder at 10:28 to make it 2-0.
The Vancouver Canucks got off to a rough start after the Christmas break, losing in overtime Sunday to the Anaheim Sucks. The Canucks weren't happy with the way they played, and they did something about it Tuesday at SAP Center against the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks bounced back in a big way, defeating the Sharks 3-1 in a battle against another Pacific Division foe. Bo Horvat, Jannik Hansen and Radim Vrbata each scored a goal, and Ryan Miller made 31 saves for Vancouver (21-11-3). Vancouver (45 points) pulled to within nine points of first-place Anaheim in the Pacific. The Canucks are one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and two ahead of the Sharks and Calgary Flames for second place. The Canucks ended the Sharks' eight-game home winning streak and handed them their third straight loss overall. San Jose (19-13-5) is on its longest losing streak since a four-game skid Nov. 18-26.
Sharks center Joe Thornton scored on a penalty shot in the second period.
Miller improved to 9-1-1-0 in 11 career games against the Sharks, including 2-0-0 this season. He made 34 saves against the Sharks at SAP Center on Nov. 6 in a 3-2 victory. Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock, making his first start since Dec. 11, made 18 saves. San Jose entered the game with the NHL's No. 2 power play, but went 0-for-4 with the man advantage against Vancouver, which did not have a power-play opportunity. The Canucks took a 1-0 lead at 3:08 of the first period on Horvat's second NHL goal. The rookie spun and fired a shot from the left circle into heavy traffic. The puck banked off Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon's skate, and as Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows jammed away, it trickled past Stalock. The Sharks outshot Vancouver 11-7 in the first period, but their best chance to score came on a penalty shot by Joe Pavelski at 8:28 that hit the crossbar and bounced over the net. Pavelski earned the penalty shot when Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler tripped him from behind on a breakway off a pass from Thornton. Vancouver increased its lead to 2-0 at 3:05 of the second period on Hansen's ninth goal. Hansen had been in the penalty box for an illegal check to Sharks forward Tommy Wingels' head. He sprinted out of the box at the end of a penalty kill, took a pass from Edler and scored on a breakaway. San Jose cut Vancouver's lead to 2-1 at 4:36 of the second when Thornton scored on a penalty shot, banking the puck off the left post and past Miller. Thornton was on a breakaway when Canucks defenseman Christopher Tanev dove in front of him, sending Thornton to the ice. The penalty-shot goal was San Jose's first in five years, to the day, and ended an 0-for-7 streak, including three tries this season. Former Sharks forward Ryan Clowe and Thornton each scored on penalty shots Dec. 30, 2009, at SAP Center in a 5-2 victory against the Washington Capitals in San Jose's only other game with two penalty-shot attempts. Vancouver answered at 7:09 of the second period with Vrbata's 14th goal. He took a shot from the left circle that deflected off Stalock's glove and into the net, giving the Canucks a 3-1 lead. The Sharks, who face the Ducks on Wednesday at Honda Center, pulled Stalock with 2:30 left in the game, but even with the extra attacker, they couldn't get the puck past Miller again. Sharks forward Matt Nieto was activated from injured reserve Tuesday and returned to the lineup after missing nine games with an ankle injury. He skated on the fourth line. Defenseman Matt Irwin was in the lineup for San Jose after sitting eight games as a healthy scratch.
Dirty Dog, Jannik Hansen was fined $5,000 by the NHL on Wednesday for an illegal check to the head of Tommy Wingels. Hansen was assessed a minor penalty for an illegal check to the head in the second period of the Canucks' 3-1 road victory Tuesday night. Wingels was checked out for a possible concussion and returned later in the period. The fine is the maximum amount allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
Sharks Quotes
Todd McLellan: "I didn't think we were particularly good, and the score indicated that. For me there's a price we have to pay to win, and right now we're not reaching deep enough. We want everything on sale. ... We want the easy way out. The power play is a prime example. We had 6-8 shots, looked at them, I don't think we had anybody near the net or around [Miller's] eyes. I didn't like it. I didn't like the hit, I didn't like the fact that he came out of the box and scored the winning goal and got to play the rest of the night."
Joe Pavelski: "Breaks of the game. You wish it would go in. It's fun to be a part of. Game turns a little bit if that finds its way in."
Joe Thornton: "It was tough to get some good looks tonight for whatever reason. They worked really hard defensively. We haven't played that well coming out of the Christmas break, so tomorrow is a huge game and we need to find some energy."
Shea Weber scored two goals to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 win against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. The Predators, who dropped a 5-4 shootout decision to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, have not lost two games in a row this season. They are 14-2-1 at Bridgestone Arena. Weber gave the Predators a 1-0 lead with 1:55 remaining in the first period on a one-timer from the slot. Weber took a pass from Olli Jokinen and beat St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott over the shoulder to end a 16-game goal drought. St. Louis tied the game 1-1 on Chris Butler's shot from the point less than a minute into the second period. The shot found its way through traffic in front of the net and beat Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne at 00:50. T.J. Oshie gave the Blues a 2-1 lead at 14:39 of the second when he finished a give-and-go play with David Backes. The Blues had an odd-man rush after a Predators turnover, and Oshie was left with a wide-open net. Nashville forward Gabriel Bourque tied the game 1:27 after the Oshie goal. He collected a rebound in front of the St. Louis net and kicked it to his stick to beat Elliott for his second goal this season. Bourque's goal came three seconds after an apparent goal by Predators forward Filip Forsberg was waved off. The call on the ice was upheld because video was inconclusive in determining whether the puck crossed the goal line. Weber scored his second goal of the game, eighth of the season, at 9:02 of the third period with the Predators shorthanded. He joined an odd-man rush with defense partner Roman Josi and took a wrist shot that beat Elliott on the blocker side. It was Nashville's first shorthanded goal of the season, and the first allowed by St. Louis. Elliott made 44 saves in his first game since he sustained a lower-body injury Nov. 25 against the Ottawa Senators. Nashville outshot St. Louis 47-28. Each team was playing the second of a back-to-back set. The Predators, who got three of four possible points in their back-to-back against the Blackhawks and Blues, know how important those points within the Central Division will be at the end of the season. St. Louis will play at the Anaheim Sucks on Friday, and Nashville will visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Blues Quotes
David Backes: "Back-to-back, traveling on the road, we just need to simplify and make sure we stick with our game for a full 60 minutes. They can outshoot us if we're bending but not breaking, but I think we broke at a tough time tonight."
Brian Elliott: "That's one way to get back into it is getting a lot of rubber. It's probably not the game we wanted to play, but they came at us and we knew what to expect. Personally, I felt pretty good. I felt pretty comfortable in net and trusting of everything in my game. It's tough we didn't get the result we wanted tonight."
Montreal @ Florida 2-1 SO - PA Parenteau scored the only goal in the shootout, and backup goalie Dustin Tokarski made 36 saves. Tokarski stopped three Panthers in the shootout, clinching the victory when he stopped Jonathan Huberdeau's wrist shot in the bottom of the third round. Parenteau beat goalie Roberto Luongo in the third round with a wrist shot. Brendan Gallagher scored with 1:06 left in the second period. The game drew a sellout crowd of 19,614, the largest attendance of the season at BB&T Center, with a large portion rooting for the Canadiens. Nick Bjugstad scored with 1:49 left in the third period for the Panthers; Luongo made 33 saves and is 1-7-0 in his past eight starts against the Canadiens. The best scoring chance of overtime came in the final minute after Tokarski turned over the puck and Jimmy Hayes had an open net from the bottom of the left circle, but his long-range shot went wide. Bjugstad tied the game when he took a centering feed from rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad and beat Tokarski with a wrist shot from the slot. Gallagher scored on Montreal's 20th and final shot of the second period, a wrist shot from outside the right dot that trickled through Luongo's legs. It was Gallagher's fifth goal in 10 games. Luongo had been spectacular in the second period. He stopped Jiri Sekac on a breakaway in the first minute, blocked a cross-ice pass to thwart a 3-on-1, and had quick reactions to stop a couple of deflections, including one on a slap shot that shattered the stick of Panthers defenseman Willie Mitchell.
Aleksander Barkov came close to giving the Panthers the lead in the second period. He put the puck in the net off a scrum in front of Tokarski, but the goal was waved off because it was ruled Tokarski was shoved into the net.
Barkov hit the crossbar with a shot from the slot about two minutes before Gallagher scored. Huberdeau's 14-year-old sister, Josiane, sang "O Canada" before the game. She was among approximately 85 friends and family members cheering on Huberdeau, whose hometown is the Montreal suburb of Saint-Jerome.
Los Angeles @ Edmonton 2-3 SO - Oilers forward David Perron scored the only goal in a four-round shootout in a 3-2 win. Hendricks put Edmonton ahead at 4:37 of the first period, taking a pass from Derek Roy in the slot and one-timing a shot past Quick. The assist was Roy's first point for the Oilers in his first game; he was acquired Monday in a trade with the Nashville Predators for center Mark Arcobello. Shortly after the goal, Roy left the game, sustaining a cut on his ankle by a skate blade. He returned in the second period after getting stitches. Nugent-Hopkins increased the lead to 2-0 at 9:32 of the second period, snapping a shot past Quick from just inside the faceoff circle.
Doughty scored at 10:02 of the third period on a play requiring video review, cutting the lead to 2-1. The Kings defenseman appeared to have hit the crossbar with a point shot and play continued. Once play stopped, the shot was reviewed, and it was determined the puck hit the back bar. The 34 seconds that had elapsed were put back on the clock. Muzzin tied the game at 17:35 on the power play. The Kings defenseman took a pass from Marian Gaborik at the side of the net and beat Scrivens on the short side. Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz took a high-sticking penalty at 16:59 to give Los Angeles the power play. In overtime, each team had chances to win the game. Edmonton outshot Los Angeles 4-2 in the extra period. Carter, Anze Kopitar, Tyler Toffoli and Justin Williams failed to score for Los Angeles in the shootout. Roy, Eberle and Hendricks missed for Edmonton prior to Perron's deciding goal.
